The Socio-Cultural Integration of The Jewish Population in the Province of Radom, 1815-1862

Summary

The question of the social and cultural integration of the Jews is a crucial one in any analysis of Jewish problems during the period of the Polish [Congress] Kingdom. It coincided with the deterioration of the socioeconomic relations which characterize late feudalism and with radical changes in both territorial distribution and socio-economic structures. And it culminated in the first stage in the establishment of equal rights for Jews with the decree of 5 June 1862. Although these processes are well known through the work of Artur Eisenbach, their progress in specific regions of the Polish Kingdom remains a matter for inquiry and research.

This article examines the question of the integration of the Jews with the general population in the province of Radom, which was formed on 1 January 1845 by the unification of the provinces of Kielce and Radom. After the Third Partition this area had been ruled by Austria and Prussia. It consisted of the lands between the right bank of the Pilica and the left bank of the Vistula and the border of Prussia and Austria (see map p. 215). It is an area of particular interest in considering Jewish issues in the provinces of the Congress Kingdom. It had the highest density of towns with 114 state (i.e. previously royal or ecclesiastical) and private towns. Almost all the Kingdom's heavy industry and mining industry were concentrated here. These features, together with its border shared with Prussia and Austria, had a radical effect on the history of the Jewish population.

The importance of Jewish questions is clear from the position and function of Jews in this area. Between 1815 and 1862 their numbers rose from 45 .300 to 102.600, that is from 7 .6 per cent to 10.6 per cent of the population. They played a notable role in urban society in particular. Whereas in 1827 Jews made up 33.0 per cent of the population of the towns, by 1862 this figure had reached 44.3 per cent. In absolute terms, the Jewish population of the towns had increased from 52.400 to 91.400 while the percentage of Jews living in towns had risen from 78.3 to 89 .1 per cent.